Kasteel Kriek | Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V.

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User Ratings & Reviews

Pours with a dirty brown head that settles over almost opaque dark, dark red liquid. Nose is a super delicious blend of tart cherries backed with yeastiness and some malt. Taste is sweet but not too sweet cherries, souring after swallowing. Warming taste of alcohol follows & finishes up dry and bittersweet. This is a winner on all fronts, an outstanding Kriek that's not soda-pop sweet like Lindemann's can be.

Cherry. Cherry. Cherry. THE cherry beer. Cloudy. Deep brown with a reddish cast and highlights. The initial off-white head dies shortly leaving a limited collar and no lace. The aroma is bold but limited to sweet cherry. The body is surprisingly full, and smooth in the mouth. The flavor starts dry and tart, loaded with cherry flavor. There's a more natural cherry flavor and some darkish malt in the middle. And, of course, there's cherry in the finish along with a nice little malt note. Although this has a really wild cherry-candy flavor, it's not as sweet as some brands which will go un-named. You know who they are. On the other hand, it is a bit one-sided without the full, brash, lactic sourness that the truly great Krieks have. A very nice apertif or after-dinner drink. Worth trying, but not really worth seeking out.

Cherry friggin' pie! No two ways about it, this is a serious cherry beer. And actually quite nice; a terrific dessert beer. Quite ruby in color -- no mistaking the cherries here. Smell is cherry pie, made with real sour cherries. The taste is full and rich and thick. There's a huge malt backbone to this beer (it's really not a lambic, but rather a Belgian brown ale infused with cherries), which provides a beautiful balance to the cherry tartness. It's probably the best kriek I've tasted.

s: Served a little cold, but after warming the once only cherry aroma opens up to reveal brandy and some sour notes. Sweet, complex layers of natural cherries and dark liquor. Quite comparable to New Glarus Belgian Red at times, but not quite as good.

Presentation: The normal generic label for this Kasteel has the same design as that of the Blond and Brune. However, this one has a red bordered label and is described as Belgian Ale Fermented with Cherries. Arrives in a Green 750ml [1 Pint 9.4 fl.oz] flask-like Belgium bottle which has a deeply dimpled base. As with the Blond & Brune, this Kasteel has a Champagne presentation, right down to the fact that the entire neck is covered in a thin metallic red foil. Cork, Capped and Caged; once the foil and silver cage & cap was removed, the thumbed cork was easily plucked from the mouth of the towel. A quiet porrrp, but not much of an audible exhibition with this one. The cork is dated Gebotteld 04-2001, and the reverse label has this listed at Alc. 8% Vol. and with a Best Before Date of 05-2004 printed in small white text, with the code 00515A underneath it.

Appearance: Yet again my trusty Duvel Goblet fares well and proves to be the right choice. The body has a murky brown tinge at first, but on closer examination and strongly backlit it has a deep ruddy red body that glistens with a deep blackcurrant hue. A purple-pink head fizzes into life during the pour but quickly effervesces into nothing. Flat appearance is not helped by the low levels of carbonation. Average appearance.

Nose: Smells like a funky Brown Ale soaked in Cherries. Some light caramel, Flanders Brune and a light Flanders Red all mix into a solid Tart Cherry Base that has a sweet fruity and exceptionally enticing nose. Deep inhalation reveals some complexities to this one, thanks in no part to some aging in the Bottle no doubt.

Taste: Hmmmm Lovely!! Sharp and tart whole cherry fruit start, dark skins, sweet feel but with a Brown Ale characteristic. Woody feel, cherry soaked oak back end with some caramel. A Lambic-Kriek though? Im not so sure for it lacks that truly funky acrid lactic sourness that would surely convince me otherwise. Nevertheless, this is far from the sickly sweet Cherry cough syrup messes that are so often offered up. Maybe this is a Brown Ale steeped in Cherries, maybe not, but it is most certainly a sort of Cherry Ale ah, who knows what it really is?!?  Whatever, this is a damn good brew that is vastly superior to most of the pseudo Cherry brews out there; this one makes you think for sure.

Mouthfeel: Dry and tart at first, with some cherry sweetness in the middle and a malty chewy cherry caramel ending that lingers with a tart sweetness that never rises above the dark cherry skin fruity feel. A sturdy brew.

Drinkability: No sign of the 8% alcohol anywhere. Has enough Tartness and Brown Ale to fight and balance the sweet aspects, lending a definitive fruity brown ale dimension. Drinks extremely well I must say, in fact this is damn quaffable.

Overall: Only cost me $6.95 for the 750ml and it represented extremely great value. Referred to as Kasteel Kriek, but Im not sure why, for it is in fact nothing of the sort, there is no mention of the word Kriek anywhere on the label. This seems to be more of a Belgium Brown Ale steeped in Cherries, and it is done extremely well.

Wow!! Kool-Aid meets beer and in a good way. Very berry cherry taste. Thin bodied, almost an oily look, but big cherry taste. Slight astringency compliments the flavor making this one a good beer. Very sweet overall but refreshing and quenching. Red color, no head or lace. Would be perfect on a hot night.

I had this on draught at Stuffed Sandwich, San Gabriel, CA. This pours a dark cherry red color with no head. The aroma is cherry, well balanced between sweet and tart. The cherry flavor dominates, and it works well. again, it's not too sweet or tart. This was an extremely enjoyable beer for a hot day.

Deep red color with no head or lace. Slight acidic sweet nose with hints of berry in there. Sweet original taste with a hook finish of bitterness and slight astringency. The sweetness of the cherry (almost berry) taste is cut well with the bitterness in the finish. I liked the taste and enjoyed this very much as an after dinner drink. It was not overly sweet like many others in this style that I have tasted.

Pours a deep amber red color with a pink head. Aromas of sour dark cherries, right in their prime. In the taste, dark cherry, a small sourness and well a bit surypy, almost medicinal. Aftertaste of a small cherry and a coating in the mouth. Not too sweet, nice alcohol and deffinatly not a girly beer!

My bottle reads Kasteel Rouge, but I have learned that is the AKA for this brew.

A: Very sexy brew. Pours a dark reddish purple, like a fine wine. The head is nice and thick at the edge of the glass, and is a nice foamy white tinged with purple.

S: Big Cherry aroma all over the nose, with a nice candy like sweetness.

T: MMM, very tasty, Not as sweet as most of the cherry beers Ive had, and there is a distinct tartness from the fruit which makes this one a real winner.

M: Light and sparkling in body. Very refreshing.

D: I really liked it, just most fruit beers it is a one and I'm done brew though.

Overall: This beer has a very realistic cherry flavor; it is almost like eating fresh Bing Cherries from the bag. It is a nice tasting brew that is a joy to drink. Wish the wife was here to try this one.

on tap at The Sharp Edge (Crafton, PA)
Dark red appearance, black cherry juice looking. Low carbonation. Smelled sweet and a little overpowering in cherry. that matched the taste. Very sweet but not too heavy. Could have one for desert, but would opt out for many other beers, but not fruit beers. this was actually drinkable. I usually hate krieks, but not this one.